Category: Family Travel Tips

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Making the Most of Re-entry with Kids

What is Reverse Culture Shock?

Culture shock is the disorientation you feel when you first experience a new country or place. Similarly, re-entry refers to the period of adjustment that you will experience when you come home. Sometimes this is referred to as reverse culture shock, but I prefer the term re-entry. If you were only gone for a weekend, re-entry probably won’t take much. There will be some jet lag, but your kids will bounce back pretty quickly.

If you’re gone longer, re-entry might be more involved. The longer you’ve been traveling or the more exotic the location, the more they will have changed. They’ve had new experiences and seen new things. Their worldview has expanded. That’s ok – that was part of the point of traveling, right? You should expect a period of adjustment as they move back into their old routines. Disorientation is common. Here are some ways to reinforce what they learned and to help them to re-adjust to home.

Paris

Get back to routine

Routines are important. Your routine was disrupted while you were traveling. Chores weren’t done, bedtimes were adjusted, homework didn’t happen. Now that you’re back home, it’s time to start all of those routines again.

There will be resistance. After all, who wants to go back to chores and homework? This is normal and will subside with a little patience on your part and a little effort on theirs. It helps to set the tone by getting back to your own routines. This will probably happen naturally since you have to go back to work.

Talk about your trip

So what do you do with all the experiences that you had? Talk about them. Discussing it helps to reinforce their memories of the trip. It helps them to make connections from their daily lives to the lives of people that they met on the trip.

You have to be a little sneaky here. Kids won’t respond well to this if it seems formalized. Instead, suggest connections when they occur naturally. Eating dinner with chopsticks might remind everyone of the trip to Tokyo. Seeing an article in the paper might remind you of Spain. Their schoolwork probably includes a session on geography or social studies that will tie in with your trip. When that happens, don’t say, “Remember when . . . ?” That leads to a yes or no answer. Instead, ask, “What do you remember about when we were in . . . ?”

Younger children can bring something to Show and Tell at school like a souvenir that they bought. Older children may choose to write about their experience in an essay for school,  or an article for the school newspaper.

Be ready for random connections

Kids make connections in their brains that adults sometimes don’t. When that happens, ask them to explain. Watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off recently, my son noticed the painting that Cameron stares at in the Art Institute of Chicago. The painting is A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by George Seurat. It’s a good example of pointillism, a technique that developed from Impressionism. My son exclaimed, “We saw that painting in Paris!”

We haven’t seen that painting because we haven’t been to the Art Institute of Chicago. We have, on the other hand, been to the Museum d’Orsay in Paris, which houses impressionist works by artists like Monet, Manet, and Degas. This connection that he made allowed us to discuss a whole range of topics, like how artists draw inspiration from one another and why some art is in one museum versus another museum.

This conversation only happened because we didn’t default to saying, “no, you’re wrong. We’ve never seen that painting.” Instead we asked, “Why do you say that?” and the conversation got rolling from there.

Temper their expectations

It’s often said that the only thing worse that looking at your old vacation photos is looking at someone else’s. Not everyone wants to hear about your awesome, life-changing travel experience. You probably realize that. Your kids may not. This is another teachable moment. You can help them to not become insufferable travel snobs. Yes, they’ve had a tremendous privilege in being able to travel. Not everyone has that, and not everyone wants that. Every sentence shouldn’t start with, “well, when I was in Argentina this summer . . . ”

How have you handled reverse culture shock or re-entry? Share in the comments below.

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Should You Use a Travel Agent?

In the age of AirBnB and Kayak, some people think travel agents are long gone. Not according to the American Society of Travel Agents, which notes that there are almost 10,000 travel agency firms operating in the U.S. Travel agents still book 85% of cruises and 50% of airline tickets. So should you use a travel agent for your trip? That depends on the type of person you are and the type of trip you’re taking. Here are some factors to consider that might lead you to work with an agent instead of going it alone.

safari lion

Package Deals

Are you booking a travel package? In addition to cruises, travel agents book 70% of all tours and travel packages. They often know about special deals and have access to pricing information that the general public does not. Package deals usually include airfare, lodging, transfers from the airport to the hotel, admission to attractions and museums, and some meals.

The main advantage of a package is that most or all of the expenses are included. There are two downsides. First, you can’t deviate from the package. This isn’t Burger King; you don’t get it your way. The second is that you’re not going to venture off the beaten path. Most package tours hit the top tourist highlights in a destination and that’s it.

Complex Itinerary

If you’re flying round-trip from Boston to Dublin and you have a hotel in mind, you probably don’t need an agent to book your travel. On the other hand, if you’re flying to London, taking a train to Paris and Rome, and flying home from there, you might want to consider it.

I used a travel agent for a one week trip to Ireland. We drove along the southern coast from Galway to Dublin and I had specific requests for different types of lodging – 1 night in a castle, 1 night  in a 5-star hotel, 2 bed and breakfasts, etc. The agent handled the flights, the rental car, and all the accommodations. This is basically designing your own package tour. If you’re trying to do that, a travel agent’s expertise can be invaluable.

Roussillon

Specialized Trip

You’re not just going to France, you’re doing a tour of significant battlefields from World War II. Or you’re doing a kid-friendly African safari for the first time. Contacting a travel agent who specializes in the type of travel that you’re interested in can save you time and money. Sure, you can try to research on your own to figure out who the best safari operators are in Botswana or how to see penguins in Antarctica. Or you can work with someone who exclusively handles that type of travel and has contacts with all the major companies in that country or region.

Terms and Conditions

Fine print. Airline tickets have it. Hotel reservations have it. There are terms and conditions attached to every part of your trip. You might know what all those terms means. You might have questions about when travel insurance applies and what happens to your hotel reservation if your flight is delayed by a day. A good travel agent can answer your questions.

penguins

Comfort Factor

Some people are fine to walk out of the airport in Muscat and figure out how to flag down a taxi to a nearby hotel. Others want to have a car waiting for them; a driver holding a sign with your name on it. If you are comfortable traveling abroad, you probably don’t need an agent. If you’re reasonably sure that you can figure it out, you might not need an agent. But if fear of the unknown is the thing keeping you from taking the family overseas then book a trip through an agent and go.

As it often does, this decision comes down to preference, price, and time. You can design the perfect trip all by yourself if you are willing to spend the time to research it. Or you can hire someone to do it for you. If you decide to hire a travel agent, you can visit the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) website.

Have you used a travel agent? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

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6 Pro Tips for Packing with Kids

Fear of packing. It’s a real thing. Packing with kids is worse. Faced with the thought of packing a whole family for a trip, some folks just give up and stay home. You don’t have to be one of them. With the help of the tips below, you and your kids will be ready to go on your next trip with no fuss and no stress.

1. Kids pack their own bags

Obviously you wouldn’t have a toddler pack her own steamer trunk. But once a child is seven or eight years old, she is capable of packing her own suitcase. Encourage your kids to do so. Make a list and have them check each item off as they put it in the bag. This makes them feel like they’re contributing, eliminates stress for you, and teaches responsibility. Feel free to check it afterwards, but resist the urge to re-pack it.

carryon

2. Don’t check luggage

You can travel for a week with what’s in a carry-on. You can travel for a month with what’s in a carry-on. Add a stroller and diaper bag if necessary. Overpacking is one of the biggest mistakes people make. That causes inconvenience to one person but it causes paralysis when applied to a family trip. Take out half the clothes that you plan to bring and leave them home. You won’t miss them.

girl with suitcase

3. Make them carry their own weight

Now that you’ve all packed your own bags, it’s time for everyone to carry their own weight. This is very manageable with a carry-on and a backpack. Carry-ons with wheels are helpful. I’m a fan of Tortuga backpacks as well.

passport

4. Unless it’s REALLY important

I make exceptions for things that will end the trip prematurely. This includes passports, plane tickets, and that’s about it.

5. Cross load

If you haven’t heeded the advice about checking luggage, then you’re adding one more source of stress – lost luggage. To reduce the impact of a lost suitcase, distribute everyone’s clothes evenly in each bag. Now if a bag is lost, everyone still has clothes to wear. If there’s something that you can’t live without, leave it home. If you can’t leave it home, don’t put it in a checked bag.

blue backpack

6. Do without

You’re going on a trip, not emigrating. People wear clothes and eat food all over the world. That means you can get clothes and food wherever you’re going. You don’t need to haul your closet on vacation.

Do you have a tip from your travels? Leave it in the comments.

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7 Ways to Travel as a Family in 2016

Start the New Year off right by planning a trip abroad. Here are seven ways to travel internationally as a family, from dipping your toe in with a weekender to taking the plunge on a RTW (round the world).

1. Weekender

A weekend trip can be a quick way to experience another culture cheaply, especially if you take advantage of airline ticket sales in the off-season.  Two or three days is not very much time, so you’ll want to focus on hitting the highlights of your destination.  This is not hard, since many travel books have sample itineraries based on your length of stay.  You’ll probably still be recovering from jet lag when you get home, so the first day or two back at work will be rough.  I will say, however, that “flew to Paris” is still one of my favorite answers to the question, “what did you do this weekend?”

Time is one of the greatest limiting factors on a weekend trip.  If you live on the East coast, aim for Quebec, Canada or a major European city.  Catching a Friday evening flight should put you on the ground Saturday morning (the time zones work in your favor here).  You’ll fly back early Monday morning and arrive late on Monday evening, just in time to put the kids to bed.

This kind of trip is also feasible from the Midwest, since there are dozens of international flights departing from major hubs like Chicago.  The farther west you live, however, the more likely it is that you’ll want to aim for Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean.  Flight times to Asia make a weekend trip impractical, and Europe is only within reach if you spend the whole day Friday traveling.

2. Cruise

A cruise is one of the easiest ways to travel overseas. The cruise ship functions as a floating hotel with restaurants and shops included. The popular cruise lines all have staff dedicated to programs for kids, allowing for some time alone as a couple. You only have to unpack once.

Most of the cruise itineraries familiar to Americans stay in the Caribbean. In a one-week cruise, you’ll visit 4-5 countries and spend one day at each port. You won’t see much of the country in a day. In fact, critics would argue that the experience you’ll get is far from authentic. Shopping for souvenirs just off the ship in Nassau or Basseterre is not the same experience as venturing to the Out Islands or Charlestown. Whether you agree or not depends on your objectives for the trip. If you’re looking for an in-depth exploration of one culture complete with language immersion, then a Caribbean cruise is not the right option. If you’re looking for an easy way to get out of the country and start traveling, it might just be the way to go.

For a longer trip farther afield, consider a transatlantic cruise, a repositioning cruise, or a Mediterranean cruise. A transatlantic cruise won’t have very many port calls, if any. A repositioning cruise will be cheaper than usual but will be scheduled on the shoulder season of the prime vacation window.

3. Business Plus

You have to go abroad for work. Why not take your family with you? Your employer is paying for the hotel and your airfare, leaving you to cover the airfare for the rest of your family. Stay out of legal trouble on this one by checking your company’s policy first. If the policy isn’t clear, or there isn’t one, make sure to get your supervisor’s approval.

It’s not all fun and games. After all, you’re there primarily for work. Add a few days at the start or the end of the trip to do things as a family. Make sure your spouse and your kids know that they’ll be on their own on the days when you’re working. They can have an adventure and tell you all about it at dinner.

4. Visit friends

Sit down and make a list of all the people that you know who live overseas. Family members. Friends from high school or college. Former co-workers. A friend of a friend. There’s a good chance that you know someone who lives abroad. Now it’s time to plan a visit.

Staying with friends might mean not having to pay for a hotel, a considerable savings in some cities. It could also mean that you have a host who knows the city and can introduce you to experiences that only locals know about.

Obviously you will need to coordinate this type of trip in advance with your host. Don’t show up unannounced. Definitely let them know how old your children are as well. It’s polite to bring them a gift, maybe something from home that they can’t get there. Depending on their work schedules and your relationship, they might give you a tour of the town or just a place to drop your luggage and sleep at night. Either way, it’s more than you would have if you stayed at a hotel. 

5. Themed Trip

Planning your trip around a theme can provide a good framework and a good start on your itinerary. If you’re a runner, schedule your trip around a race in an exotic location. Take a trip to your ancestral homeland and trace your genealogical roots. Go on a mission trip with your church or sign up with a volunteer organization and spend part of your vacation serving the community that you’re visiting.

Pick an international event and attend it. I have a friend who travels to the summer Olympics every four years. By doing this, he’s seen Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London. Another friend’s family traveled to Germany to see the Passion Play in Oberammergau, an event that only happens once a decade.

6. The Grand Vacation

Not for the faint of heart, this can be a major expense. The word grand indicates the scale of the trip. Typical examples include touring around Europe or Southeast Asia. A grand vacation usually takes place over a summer vacation. It could a few weeks to a few months to however long your wallet can tolerate. I don’t recommend this as the first overseas trip that you go on as a family. If you already have a few smaller trips under your belt and want to kick it up a notch, feel free to give it a go.

7. Round the World

Even bigger than a grand vacation, this is the classic round the world voyage. These can be done on any budget, depending on your comfort level and time available. Be forewarned though – to travel is to be changed. Some people set off on this trip hoping to check off a box on their bucket list and end up traveling permanently.

Your turn

Where will you go in 2016?

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Unfinished Business – Oahu

You can spend a lifetime somewhere and not really see it. In our case, we spent three years on Oahu and didn’t get to everything. Some would say we didn’t make it a priority. Others would say we were leaving things to do next time. Either way, here are a few things that we didn’t get to.

‘Iolani Palace – the only royal palace within the United States, ‘Iolani palace was home to King David Kalakaua and Queen Lili’uokalani. Built in 1879, this opulent building served as the official residence for the Hawaiian monarchy until it was overthrown in 1893. It also served as the state capitol building. For the last four decades, it has been a museum.

Eat the Street – Street food in Hawaii! Eat the Street has been held monthly since 2011 and features foods by local vendors.

Polynesian Cultural Center – Maybe it’s the long drive to Laie. Maybe it’s the thought of a sober luau. Regardless, we haven’t made it there yet. The Polynesian Cultural Center is run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Many of the staff are students at the neighboring Hawaii campus of Brigham Young University. Within the 42 acres of this Polynesian theme park are several villages. Each village highlights the architecture, music, and culture of a Polynesian culture such as Samoa, Tahiti, and Tonga.

Koko Head Crater – A lot of stairs. Koko Head is famous for the views from the top. But there are over a thousand steps on the way up, and that’s too many for me. If you go, go early before the heat gets too bad.

Surf on Waikiki Beach – Over four million tourists visit Oahu each year. Most of them stay on Waikiki. I can’t blame them, it is a great beach. So nice that it used to be reserved for Hawaiian royalty. But I’ve learned what lots of locals already know – it’s not the only nice beach on the island. We go to the beach all the time. Some beaches have turtles, some are good for snorkeling, and some are good for just laying around. So far we’ve managed to have our island life without the crowds of Waikiki.

Maybe we’ll hit a few of these before we leave. Maybe we’ll leave them for another time. If you have a favorite, or a regret about one you missed, leave a comment.